At Saturday’s American Le Mans Series (ALMS) 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race the Yokohama Tire Corporation-sponsored Panoz Team PTG finished third in the strong GT2 Class. Drivers Ian James and Dominik Farnbacher piloted the well-developed, Yokohama ADVAN A005-shod Esperante GTLM in what is arguably this season’s most competitive class. The Panoz, which raced against Ferrari 430 GT and Porsche 911 GT3 RSR factory teams, finished with an average speed of more than 100 miles-per-hour for the grueling 12 hour race.
“What a great way to start the ALMS season than with a podium finish,” said Mark Chung, Yokohama director, corporate strategy and planning. “Team PTG was considered an underdog against the Porsches and Ferraris but came through with a strong performance. Congratulations to the drivers and the whole team.”
The drivers were impressed with the consistency of the ADVAN race slicks. “The tires were awesome,” said Farnbacher, 24, of Ansbach, Germany. “They were just perfect -- consistent and no blow-outs. I love them.” Added co-driver James, 34, of Phoenix, Arizona: “The tires were great; really consistent. We couldn’t do without them. As soon as the sun set and it got cold, the tires just came alive and we were flying there. We’d like to thank everybody in Japan and at Yokohama USA.”
In addition to the stirring ALMS race, Yokohama scored earlier in the week with the debut of its eco-friendly orange oil race tires in the Patrón GT3 Challenge. Bob Faieta and Melanie Snow claimed class victories in both GT3 Challenge races driving Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars equipped with Yokohama Tire’s ADVAN ENV-R1.
The ADVAN ENV-R1, the Official Spec Tire of the GT3 Challenge, reduces petroleum by approximately 10 percent and increases recyclability while maintaining the high performance levels of previous race slick compounds. “In its race debut this weekend, the tire has performed well with lap times remaining consistent throughout both races,” said Chung. “Several drivers have told me how impressed they were with the drivability of the tire. I’d like to congratulate Bob and Melanie on superb performances.”
